First, thanks for agreeing to share some of the backstory on your work Corey. Your first place Sports Picture Story focuses on Christmas Joye Abbott and her quest to become the first woman pit crew member in NASCAR. Tell us a little about how you came upon this story.

I first approached Christmas to do a story on her downtown Raleigh CrossFit facility last October. Within the first few minutes of talking to her she mentioned to me that she was moving to Charlotte the following week, but that her business partner would continue to run the gym. When I pressed her for more information on her move, I quickly realized that the story I hadn’t even started was going to be shelved. She told me that she was going to begin training as a NASCAR pit crew member and I knew that I had to follow her on that journey.

What were your first impressions of Christmas and how did you approach telling her story?

She was open from the beginning to have me tell her story. As a story teller, that goes a long way. Her manager, Ted, was also really accommodating, forthcoming and easy to work with. It was a dream combination. I’ll admit that since she’s gotten picked up by Michael Waltrip Racing a few weeks ago, it’s been harder to reach both of them – but they always return my calls and emails. I had anticipated a media storm once news broke in our paper about her and that certainly has proven to be true. So far I have no reason to worry, but I’m hoping that my access doesn’t start getting smaller as bigger media outlets, advertisers and corporations start to surround her. With the growing interest in her story, I’m hoping that our established relationship of trust and early story-telling allows me to continue to documenting her without limitations or boundaries.

What were some of the challenges you faced working on this story?

Other than the possibility of having less access, the biggest challenge to this piece was the 2.5 hour drive between Raleigh and Charlotte. Unfortunately I couldn’t just pop in and out on the story on a regular basis. However, this kept me focused and I had to made each visit count visually.

I was really struck by the image of Christmas surrounded by other male pit crew members (see here). Can you tell us a little bit about this image?

The image of her surrounded by the other men at her first race is one of my favorite images from that shoot. I liked the fact that she wasn’t the largest subject in the photo, but still remained the central focus. It says that she’s just one of the guy, so to speak, while at the race. When she’s on the job, she’s focused and serious. She’s not looking for attention. She’s working.

When the story ran in your paper did you get much reaction from readers? What was the reaction?

We’ve run three stories on Christmas so far, and each time there are a wide variety online comments both in our paper and our sister paper The Charlotte Observer. Truthfully, I didn’t read many of the comments. I heard that some people criticized her for being overly tattooed or being a publicity stunt. Others supported her for her efforts. I try to stay focused on telling the story. I’ve never been a big fan of online comments. If the increased interest from other media outlets, advertisers and Michael Waltrip Racing is any indication of the level of interest and enthusiasm for what she’s doing, then I say she’s peaked a great deal of interest.

Do you hope to continue working with Christmas in the future? What’s next for you?

My relationship with Christmas, her manager and her family is on-going. I plan on attending several races this season with her. My focus of the story is still on how she’s developing and working her way up through the ranks of NASCAR, as well as all of the external factors that are attaching themselves to her life: media, sponsors, fans, etc. Whether she’s in this for the long-haul or short term, I’m (visually) along for the ride to see where she goes and how she does it. What I can say after spending time with her is that she’s an incredibly fit, focused and kind person. She’s determined to make a difference in the sport. Although it’s still early in her NASCAR story, she’s already made some changes by becoming the first full-time female crew member to be picked up by a major racing team for a NASCAR Sprint Cup operation.

About Corey Lowenstein:

Corey Lowenstein has been a staff photographer with The News & Observer since 1996. Previously she worked as a freelance photographer in Italy and was on contract with The Hartford Courant.

She is drawn to the quiet, overlooked moments in everyday life and is a well-rounded journalist that covers everything from sports to spot news, from politics to features. In addition to photography, Corey has taken on the role as a photo editor at the paper.

She graduated from Syracuse University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the Newhouse School of Public Communications and lives in Raleigh with her husband and twin boys.

First off Lauren, thanks for agreeing to be part of this series and congratulations on your first place Sports Action win. It’s quite an arresting image. Can you tell us the back story?

Thanks for including me in the Frame in Focus series! This image came from a fairly routine assignment, the East v. West All Star high school football game, held in Greensboro. It was played in the early evening in July, which was a treat for me, light-wise. I’m usually shooting high school football after dark in less than ideal stadium light. If that had been the case here, this photo would have likely not happened. Just before this play I had moved to shoot from the endzone, which always lends itself to a clean shot of the sidelines. The little girl was standing on the sidelines with her father, who was there in some sort of official capacity.

Did you know right away that you caught the image? What happened immediately after? And was the girl ok?

The player ran the ball down the field and was eventually tackled and pushed out of bounds. I had a clean shot and was following the action through the viewfinder, and I remember seeing a brief pink blur before the player fell to the ground and out of my frame. For a split second I had no idea what the pink blur was, and as soon as I realized it, my stomach flipped. A crowd formed around the little girl, who was sitting on the ground looking totally stunned. Her father and some others came to her side to make sure everything was alright, checked out her arms and legs for any breaks. Once she put together what had happened, she shed maybe three tears and then she stood up and walked away, completely unharmed. I missed probably the next three or four plays while all this was going on because I was glued to the scene with the girl, wanting to see that she was alright.

Did the image run in the newspaper and what was the reaction?

I shot the rest of the game and sent the normal game action photos in along with the collision photo. I called the desk to talk to them about it, and we decided that even though it wasn’t the typical peak action that we usually tend to run (it wasn’t the MVP or even a local player, wasn’t a key play, etc) that it was a strong enough photo to run anyway. The next day I woke up to see it had run quite large on the sports front. Our managing editor told me if it had been earlier in the day, they would have played it out front on A1.

What is your approach to shooting big sports events? What are some of the challenges and how do you overcome them?

I shoot a good amount of sports, since I often work nights and weekends, and I’ve really come to love it. If I’m shooting an important sporting event, I make sure to arrive early and give myself time to get the lay of the land, especially if it’s somewhere I’ve never been before.

Each sport has its own unique set of challenges and surprises. The only real way I can protect myself against things going wrong is to be prepared on the technical side of things. Batteries charged, appropriate gear, adequate space on memory cards: same as any assignment. When I first started shooting sports professionally, I felt challenged and intimidated by the boys club of sports photography. At any given game, I was (and still am) often the only female shooter. I was able to overcome feeling intimidated simply by starting to talk to the other photographers. It took a little time, but once I got to know the regular shooters and they got to know me, I realized I was equally as talented and have made some incredible friends.

Finally, do you have any advice for photographers looking to improve their sports photography?

The only real piece of advice I can give to those looking to improve their sports portfolio is to shoot, shoot, shoot. Then shoot more. The more sports you shoot, the better you get. Plain and simple. It takes time and practice to develop and sharpen the reflexes needed to capture peak action, something I’m constantly working on. With experience you’ll also get better at predicting what might happen next in any given game, and you’ll be able to move yourself into the right spot to capture it. After that it’s mostly luck. Sometimes the guy runs toward you, sometimes he just doesn’t. But you have to be ready when he does.

Bio

Lauren Carroll, 29, is an Atlanta native and a graduate of the University of Georgia’s journalism school, where she studied newspapers with a photojournalism emphasis. She also has a bachelor’s degree in German. She began her Winston-Salem Journal career in 2006 as an intern.

We are looking foward to an awesome weekend in Asheville Feb 15-17. Here is an updated schedule of events. All official events will take place at Pink Dog Creative.

Friday (Feb 15)

2 pm- POY contest chairman James Nix begins with judges Eric Seals, Charlie Dharapak and Gerry Melendez. Judging continues until the evening. (open to public, except for Photographer of the Year categories)

-Dinner downtown Asheville- TBD

-A gallery show featuring the work of four past North Carolina Photographer of the Year winners will be on display at the Pink Dog Creative Gallery Friday through Sunday. The show features work from Logan Mock-Bunting, Shawn Rocco, Andrew Craft and Jerry Wolford. The ten prints that will be available in Saturday night’s print auction will also be on display in the gallery.

Saturday

9a.m. - Contest judging continues (open to public, except for Photographer of the Year categories)

5:30 – dinner on you own

7p.m. – Special presentation and print auction. Special guest Eric Seals, Charlie Dharapak and Gerry Melendez will present their work and hold Q&As. We will auction off prints donated by our judges and past POY winners as well as raffle off over $1000 in awesome photo gear.

Sunday

10 am – Introduction by Erin Brethauer- A look at last year and a brief discussion on what we can do better this next year.

10:15-10:45 – James Nix leads discussion on the POY contest- what can be improved, contest categories etc

10:45-11:15 – Jerry Wolford and James Robinson lead a talk on the monthly clip contest- they will lay out their plans for the year and get feedback.

11:15-11:30 – Emma Tannenbaum talks about what worked for the raffle and print auction. Fundraising discussion.

11:30-11:45 – Social media- We’re hoping someone can volunteer to step up the NCPPA’s social media to engage our members consistently throughout the year through facebook, twitter, and our blog. Erin will lead this discussion but we need a volunteer (or two) to focus on this exclusively and make it consistent for our members.

11:45 – 12:30 - Andrew Craft and Erin – looking forward to next year. New leadership teams for the NCPPA, how that will work and where we’re meeting next.

Join us for a print show and auction featuring work from several of past NCPPA Photographers of the Year along with current and past judges. The print show will be Saturday Feb 16 at the Pink Dog gallery in Asheville.

The judges for the NCPPA’s 2012 Photos of the Year competition have a wide-range of experience between them. We are excited to announce Charles Dharapak of the AP, Eric Seals of the Detroit Free Press and Gerry Melendez of The State (Columbia SC).

Charles Dharapak joined the Associated Press in 1995 as a staff photographer based in Southeast Asia.

While in Bangkok, Thailand, he covered Cambodia’s civil war and pro-democracy movement in Burma and later became the AP’s chief photographer and photo editor in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he covered the riots leading to the fall of Suharto, East Timor’s independence, various communal and religious conflicts, and the rise of Muslim extremism. In 2002, he spent considerable time photographing the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

Transferring to AP Washington in 2003, he has covered national politics including the Bush administration, the 2004, 2008, and 2012 presidential campaigns, and currently the Obama White House.

Dharapak grew up in Staten Island, N.Y., and attended New York University where he left his medical studies and received his degree in Print Journalism and Economics.

His work in Gaza in 2002 was recognized by the Associated Press Managing Editors and he has received awards for his Washington political coverage from the National Press Photographers Association’s Best of Photojournalism contest and was named the White House News Photographers Association 2012 Still Photographer of the Year.

Eric Seals

“If you learn to shoot with your heart, you’ll move peoples souls!”

A good friend said that to Eric some time ago & it is something he thinks about constantly working as a Photo & Video Journalist at the Detroit Free Press.

A 1993 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Eric worked at The State Newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina until 1999 when he joined the Detroit Free Press. It’s the newspaper he grew up reading & dreamed of working at since getting into photography in 10th grade.

Over the years Eric has covered many things from various Presidential campaigns, two different intifadas in Israel/Palestine, 5 months covering the war in Iraq & many sports from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing to several Super Bowls, World Series & NBA Finals. In May of 2008 Eric eagerly embraced video storytelling as his paper started the big push to video on the web. From video features to projects he loves trying to bring a cinematic feel and style to his pieces while always staying true to the one thing that matters the most: the story, the story, the story!

Eric has been recognized for his video storytelling with the 2011 MPPA Multimedia Photographer of the Year, a national Webby Award, several POYi, NPPA-BOP awards & six Michigan Emmys.

Eric has taught at several workshops & has judged at national & state contests around the country. He loves the “Reach One, Teach One” philosophy & mentors others around the country interested in this amazing profession!

Seals is married, has two kids ages 13 & 8. He can always be reached at eseals@freepress.com with any questions about photo & video storytelling.

He can also be found on Twitter; @ericseals & on Instagram; Eric Seals

Gerry Melendez was born in El Salvador and moved to the United States in 1980 during a civil war. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with an art studio degree and started his photographic career soon after. Twenty years of assignments have taken him throughout the U.S. and abroad in Central America, India, Turkey and Albania. In 2004 he joined the staff at The State newspaper in

Columbia, South Carolina.

Melendez is a four-time South Carolina Photographer of the Year by the South Carolina News Photographers Association. His work has been recognized by numerous state, regional and national organizations including NPPA’s Best of Photography which awarded him a third place Photographer of the Year for smaller markets in 2011.

We are looking forward to an awesome weekend in Asheville, here’s a look at plan so far:

Friday (Feb 15)

2 pm- POY contest chairman James Nix begins with judges Eric Seals, Charlie Dharapak and Gerry Melendez. Judging continues until the evening. (open to public, except for Photographer of the Year categories)

-Dinner downtown Asheville- TBD

-A gallery show featuring the work of four past North Carolina Photographer of the Year winners will be on display at the Pink Dog Creative Gallery Friday through Sunday. The show features work from Logan Mock-Bunting, Shawn Rocco, Andrew Craft and Jerry Wolford. The ten prints that will be available in Saturday night’s print auction will also be on display in the gallery.

Saturday

9a.m. - Contest judging continues (open to public, except for Photographer of the Year categories)

5:30 – dinner on you own

7p.m. – Special presentation and print auction. Special guest Eric Seals, Charlie Dharapak and Gerry Melendez will present their work and hold Q&As. We will auction off prints donated by our judges and past POY winners as well as raffle off over $1000 in awesome photo gear.

Sunday

10 am – Introduction by Erin Brethauer- A look at last year and a brief discussion on what we can do better this next year.

10:15-10:45 – James Nix leads discussion on the POY contest- what can be improved, contest categories etc

10:45-11:15 – Jerry Wolford and James Robinson lead a talk on the monthly clip contest- they will lay out their plans for the year and get feedback.

11:15-11:30 – Emma Tannenbaum talks about what worked for the raffle and print auction. Fundraising discussion.

11:30-11:45 – Social media- We’re hoping someone can volunteer to step up the NCPPA’s social media to engage our members consistently throughout the year through facebook, twitter, and our blog. Erin will lead this discussion but we need a volunteer (or two) to focus on this exclusively and make it consistent for our members.

11:45 – 12:30 - Andrew Craft and Erin – looking forward to next year. New leadership teams for the NCPPA, how that will work and where we’re meeting next.

12:30 – lunch somewhere in Asheville.

Where to stay

The POY contest judging and annual meeting is just around the corner in Asheville. A few of you were asking about hotels and where to stay so here are a few suggestions.

We are having the events at the Pink Dog Creative which is in the River Arts District just outside of downtown. There’s free parking but it’s not really walkable from any hotels. It’s about a 5-10 minute drive from downtown. http://www.pinkdog-creative.com

$100-$160 a night range:

If you’re looking to stay downtown, these hotels are very nice. From any of these places you can walk to restaurants and bars around downtown. These hotels are a little pricier though.

For a little less, you can stay on Tunnel Road which is east of downtown and about a 5-15 minute drive from downtown. If you look at hotels.comalong Tunnel Road you can find some affordable spots not far away.

Hampton Inn Asheville- Tunnel Road

$35-$60 range:

If you’re looking for something super affordable that’s right in the heart of downtown, we have Sweet Peas Hostel- located conveniently above the Lexington Ave. Brewery. Private Pod is about $35 a night- though it’s communal showers etc. Private rooms are about $60.

Ted, you worked on a story in 2011 about Afghanistan’s servant class, the Hazara. You can see the full story here and this is the synopsis of your story:

The Hazara, Afghanistan’s servant class, must not only survive the war, but constant persecution from a society that keeps them on the bottom rung. Extreme poverty, lack of basic services, and a deeply-ingrained prejudice against them have made the Hazara one of the most maltreated and migratory groups in the world.

What led you to this story?

I collaborated on this assignment with a former N&O reporter who received a grant to write about the Hazara’s migration from Afghanistan to Greece. The first phase of the project was to see how the Hazara were living in Afghanistan, and what prompted them to leave the country. I had just left the N&O two months earlier, and hadn’t covered any international stories for several years, so I jumped at this chance to go.

Talk about your approach with this story.

The reporter was primarily writing for radio. I listened closely to her interviews and learned as much as I could about issues facing the Hazara so I could better illustrate the main themes of the narrative. We spent a couple of days in Kabul, then flew to Bamiyan, where thousands of Hazara live along a lush valley surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountains. It was a beautiful place, and relatively safe … but the people there lived in extreme poverty, many of them in caves. The signs of war stood tall above us in the mountainside; gigantic Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban several years earlier.

Once we started meeting Hazara families in Bamiyan, I carved out time in the day (usually very early in the morning) when I could use our shared driver and interpreter to assist with my photo and video coverage.

How long did you work on it?

I was only in Afghanistan for two weeks, and was piggy-backing on resources, so covering the people and issues with any depth and nuance was a real challenge, but it was my goal.

I also photographed the Hazara living in Athens, Greece, but that was only for a couple of days. With the ongoing financial crisis and growing intolerance for foreign workers in Athens right now, that story is worth re-visiting.

What were some of the challenges you encountered working on this story?

Besides the travel costs, of which I only recovered 25% through the sale of a video scene to CBS Sunday Morning, safety was the biggest challenge. We were not embedded with a military unit over there. In fact, I don’t recall ever seeing an American soldier on this trip (just civilian contractors). Even though Bamiyan was relatively safe, the road to Bamiyan from Kabul passed through an intersection known for violence (perhaps a Taliban checkpoint), and so we decided to take a 45-minute flight in a small plane from Kabul.

While in Kabul, we stayed at a hostel with several other journalists (the place was recommended to me by Chuck Liddy and Sara Davis, who stayed there on previous assignments to Afghanistan). For security, the hostel only had one German Shepherd and one Hazara guard. I’m not even sure if the guard had a weapon. But it turns out that the low-key, small-footprint lodging worked best. Just a few weeks later, one of the larger, fortified hotels (which had been recommended to us) was attacked by the Taliban, resulting in several casualties.

I love the photo of the Hazara woman entering the Shia mosque with her daughter. Tell us about that image.

I made that photo during one of the few days we spent in Kabul. There is a beautiful Shia mosque and cemetery on the outskirts of town. I was not allowed inside the mosque while the women prayed, but I made several photos of them coming and going. This one worked best, I think, because of the tiny detail of the woman’s foot and the shape the wind creates across her burqa.

And what did you learn working on this story?

I had never been to Afghanistan, but had seen hundreds of photos from there in the news and while working the picture desk. Witnessing the rugged beauty and resilience of Afghanistan with my own eyes was something I’ll never forget. The experience reminded me that, while people live under vastly different circumstances, they often have similar values. As photojournalists, we can help celebrate those values. I approached this assignment just like any other assignment, relying on ways I have always connected with people. I wanted to understand the people I was photographing and respond to small moments in their daily lives. This is our discipline, and it’s our gift. It’s how we are able to connect and to have an impact. We should trust in that approach whether the assignment is in our own back yard or half way around the world.

About Ted Richardson:

Ted Richardson has been working as a full-time photojournalist for the
past 12 years, covering a variety of photo and multimedia assignments,
including stories in Afghanistan, Mexico and Cuba, hurricanes that
battered the east coast, the shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech,
college and professional sports championships, including the Carolina
Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup victory, and the inauguration of President
Barack Obama. However, Ted’s career is best defined by smaller
moments from daily life, by stories that reveal the joys and struggles
of ordinary people in the community.

Ted has taught courses in photojournalism and multimedia journalism at
UNC-Chapel Hill, and his work has garnered dozens of awards, including
two Photographer of the Year honors in North Carolina (NC Press
Association-2007, and NC Press Photographers’ Clip Contest-2006). He
graduated from Davidson College with a B.A. in English, and from
UNC-Chapel Hill with a Master’s in Journalism.

David, your first place sports image captures a unique point of peak action. Tell us a little bit about how you caught this image.

I was covering the Carolina Panthers’ defense against the Arizona Cardinals so I was shooting the defense coming toward me. I followed the play in the Cardinals’ backfield and saw one of the Panthers’ linemen break through toward the quarterback. I kept shooting till the whistle blew and the play was finished.

James, your photo shows a man walking through wreckage in theaftermath of a tornado. The photo looks like it was taken pretty soonafter the tornado. Tell us a little about the photo and how it wasmade.

The man in the photograph is John Hess who I found walking with a cane out of his neighborhood just a little while after a tornado passed through and destroyed his home along with most of the houses on his block.

I’m not real sure how soon after the storm passed that I made it to the scene. The police had arrived but had not yet shut down the main road that passed by the subdivision. After I made it past the few officials stopping people from going in the neighborhood, I met up with a firefighter who was going looking for people who might need help. John was in the second group we came too, he was with his wife and a friend who was helping them get out.